No. 1 Syracuse Begins Quest for an Eighth National Title, Plays at Hofstra in NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 19.
5/17/2001 10:39:53 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Hofstra (10-6) advanced to the quarterfinals with a stunning, 15-14, come-from-behind triumph against Virginia in the first round, last Sunday. The Pride fought back from a 14-9 deficit with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and were able to force an overtime session where junior Tom Kessler dumped in the game-winning goal for his team.
This will mark the 15th meeting between Syracuse and Hofstra. The Orangemen own an 11-3 advantage in the all-time series. The last time these two teams met was in the 1993 NCAA quarterfinals at the Carrier Dome. SU won the game, 20-8, and went on to defeat Princeton (15-9) and North Carolina (13-12) for the school's fifth national title.
ON THE AIR
Radio
The school's flagship radio station for lacrosse, WFBL 1050 AM will broadcast the quarterfinal game against Hofstra. Dave Pasch, SU's play-by-play man for football and men's basketball will step in for the quarterfinals and call the action along with Syracuse equipment manager Kyle Fetterly, who has served as color analyst the entire season. If the Orangemen are fortunate to advance past Hofstra, then play-by-play announcer Carter Blackburn will be back to finish the season on air. The broadcasts can also be heard through www.suathletics.com.
WAER FM 88 will also carry the games.
Television
The quarterfinal games from Hofstra will be broadcast LIVE on MSG and the Empire Sports Network beginning at noon.
Time Warner 13 broadcasted all but one of SU's eight home games this season. The games were aired on a tape delay basis.
Syracuse in the NCAA Championship
This is Syracuse's 22nd appearance (19th consecutive) in the NCAA Championship. The Orangemen have now participated in 22 of 31 NCAA tournaments. The championship was inaugurated in 1971 and Syracuse made its first-ever appearance in 1979 (Coach John Desko and Assistant Coach Kevin Donahue's senior year). The Orangemen returned in 1980 and 1981, but failed to qualify in 1982. Since 1983, Syracuse has participated every year.
Syracuse and the No. 1 Seed
This is the seventh time and second-straight year that Syracuse has earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The previous seasons SU was seeded No. 1 were: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 2000. Syracuse went on to win the national championship as the No. 1 seed four times (1988, 1989, 1990 and 2000).
How No. 1 Seeds Have Fared in the Championship
In the 30 NCAA Tournaments that have preceded the 2001 Championship, the No. 1-seeded team has gone on to win the national title 14 times, including the 2000-champion Orangemen. Top seeds have advanced to the national title game only to lose eight times. They have lost in the semifinals seven times. In 1999, Loyola became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the quarterfinals. Syracuse, the No. 8 seed, was responsible for bouncing the Greyhounds out of contention.
The No. 1 seed has advanced past its first-round game in 29 of 30 NCAA Championships.
How Syracuse Has Fared in its First-Round Games
Out of 21 NCAA Tournaments that the Orangemen appeared in, they won their first-round game 19 times. The only two seasons that SU lost its first outing were 1979 (16-13 to Maryland in the quarterfinals at College Park) and 1981 (13-6 to North Carolina in the quarterfinals at Chapel Hill).
Syracuse has not lost its first game of the NCAA Tournament in 18 years.
The Syracuse-Hofstra Series Date W/L Score Location 4/16/60 W 11-9 Hempstead, NY 4/15/61 L 6-7 Syracuse, NY 4/10/64 W 12-6 Syracuse, NY 4/10/65 L 9-10 Hempstead, NY 4/8/66 W 10-6 Syracuse, NY 4/29/67 W 6-3 Hempstead, NY 4/27/68 W 10-6 Syracuse, NY 4/26/69 W 9-4 Hempstead, NY 3/26/75 L 3-15 Hempstead, NY 4/9/88 W 18-5 Hempstead, NY 4/8/89 W 16-7 Syracuse, NY 4/7/90 W 20-9 Hempstead, NY 4/6/91 W 30-10 Syracuse, NY 5/22/93 W 20-8 Syracuse, NY (NCAA Quarterfinals) Syracuse leads, 11-3
Series Breakdown
This will mark just the second meeting between Syracuse and Hofstra in the NCAA Tournament. The two teams met in the 1993 NCAA quarterfinals.
The 30 goals Syracuse scored against the Pride in 1991 still stands as the school record for most goals in a game. The Orangemen also netted 30 goals against Colgate in 1977
. Eight of the 15 games played between SU and Hofstra will have taken place in Hempstead, N.Y.
The last time Hofstra beat Syracuse was 1975 (15-3). The two teams have only met five times since then, so the Orangemen own a five-game winning streak in the series.
SU's NCAA Playoff Games in Hempstead, NY
Syracuse has played two NCAA Tournament games at Hofstra and won them both. In 1997, the Orangemen squared off against Loyola in the quarterfinals and prevailed, 13-12. In 1998, they overcame a six-goal deficit to knock off Virginia, 17-14, also in the quarterfinals.
Long Islanders Come Home for NCAA Quarterfinal Matchup Syracuse has 10 players on its roster from Long Island. Half of SU's starting lineup (five players) hail from the downstate area.
The starters are:
Liam Banks, junior attackman, Setauket, NY/Ward Melville
Chris Cercy, senior midfielder, Bethpage, NY/Bethpage
Rob Mulligan, fifth-year senior goalie, Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale
Brian Solliday, junior midfielder, Bethpage, NY/Bethpage
Billy St. George, junior defenseman, Baldwin, NY/Baldwin
The rest of the Long Islanders are:
Chris Giordano, freshman midfielder, Lynbrook, NY/Lynbrook
Rich MeKeel, sophomore midfielder, Wantagh, NY/Wantagh
Bill Perritt, sophomore midfielder, Holtsville, NY/Sachem
Mike Smith, sophomore midfielder, Baldwin, NY/Baldwin
Matt Sofarelli, senior midfielder, Freeport, NY/Baldwin
Hofstra/NCAA Quarterfinals, When Mulligan Emerged
Fifth-year senior goaltender Rob Mulligan (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) is anxious to play this year's quarterfinal game at Hofstra Stadium. It is the same facility that housed his "coming out party" in 1998. As a red-shirt freshman that year, Mulligan was inserted into SU's quarterfinal game against Virginia while the Orangemen trailed, 12-6, in the third quarter. He replaced starter Jason Gebhardt and responded with nine saves (his career-high at the time) which helped Syracuse win the game, 17-14, and kept its final four streak alive at 16 consecutive years.
Brian Solliday (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage) also contributed in the 1998 quarterfinal game against Virginia. He scored two goals, which at the time was his career-high, and dished out one assist.
Long Island Parents to Host a Brunch for Family, Friends and Fans
The Long Island parents are hosting a breakfast/brunch for the parents, friends, family and fans of the Syracuse lacrosse team at the quarterfinals. It will be held in the parking lot of the Nassau Coliseum (west end corner) and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 19.
Syracuse Program Approaching 700 All-Time Wins
The all-time record of the Syracuse men's lacrosse program is 697-274-15 (.715). The Orangemen need to win three more games this season for the program to reach the 700-win milestone in 2001. Johns Hopkins is the only program in Division I that has won more than 700 games.
Mulligan Continues to Climb the All-Time Saves Chart
Career Goaltender Saves at Syracuse
1. 766 Jamie Molloy 1977-80 2. 692 Tom Nims 1981-85 3. 632 Jason Gebhardt 1994-98 4. 612 Paul Bishop 1971-73 5. 592 Rob Mulligan 1998-presentPowell Makes Immediate Impact on Orange Program
First-year attackman Michael Powell (Carthage, NY/Carthage) is leading the Orangemen in scoring with 58 points (25 goals, team-high 33 assists) or a 4.46 point-per-game average. Powell is tied for third in the country in points per game and is fourth in the nation in assists per game (2.54).
Syracuse Lacrosse Freshman Scoring Records (Since 1971) Points in a Season
74 (33-41) John Zulberti 1986 67 (39-28) Casey Powell 1995 63 (42-21) Larry Storrier 1976 58 (25-33) Michael Powell 2001 54 (28-26) Tim O'Hara 1977 52 (32-20) Brad Short 1979 50 (37-13) Oliver Hill 1972 42 (22-20) Barry Powless 1976 37 (21-16) Tom Nelson 1984 36 (14-22) Rob Kavovit 1994 35 (22-13) Charlie Lockwood 1991 34 (22-12) Rob McCarthy 1978 (11-23) Sid Hill 1971 33 (16-17) Ryan Powell 1997 31 (21-10) Brad Kotz 1982 29 (25-4) Gary Gait 1987 (11-18) Mike Cornelius 1974
You've Heard About SU's Offense, But Check Out the "D"
With all of the firepower Syracuse has on offense, the Orange defense often gets overlooked. However, the 2001 defensive unit may be SU's best in more than 20 years. The Orangemen are seventh in the nation in scoring defense, giving up a measly 7.69 goals per game. That is the lowest average a Syracuse defensive unit has allowed since 1980 when the Orangemen gave up an average of 7.31 goals per game.
In fact, in the past 22 years, there have been only four seasons when Syracuse has held its opponents to fewer than eight goals per game.
Year Team's Record Goals Allowed Average 2001 11-2 100 7.69 2000 15-1 139 8.69 1999 12-5 174 10.24 1998 11-3 144 10.29 1997 11-3 166 11.86 1996 11-4 165 11.00 1995 13-2 165 11.00 1994 13-2 172 11.47 1993 12-2 143 10.21 1992 13-2 167 11.13 1991 12-3 149 9.93 1990 13-0 124 9.54 1989 14-1 132 8.80 1988 15-0 118 7.87 1987 9-4 149 11.46 1986 14-3 136 8.00 1985 14-2 143 8.94 1984 15-1 126 7.88 1983 14-1 135 9.00 1982 6-4 95 9.50 1981 7-4 95 8.64 1980 12-2 95 7.31
Warm Weather Means Orangemen Heat Up As the warm weather comes to Central New York, the Syracuse lacrosse team also tends to get hot. Since 1990, SU is 62-5 in the month of April and 11-1 in regular-season May games. Add those numbers to the 24-7 NCAA record since 1990 (all in the month of May) and Syracuse is a combined 97-13 in April and May since 1990, good for an .882 winning percentage.
Orangemen on the Road in the Regular Season SU posted a 4-1 record in games played away from the Carrier Dome this season. Last year, the Orangemen finished the regular season 7-1 on the road and the year before that they were 3-3. Since he took over as head coach in 1999, Coach Desko's teams have gone a combined 14-5 on the road during the regular season, compared to 17-2 at home.
Cercy's Face-Off Wins Give Orangemen Possession Senior face-off specialist Chris Cercy (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage) is winning 70.9 percent of the faceoffs he lines up to take. He is leading the nation in face-off winning percentage for the second-straight season. He has won the last 14 faceoffs he has taken (all in the Georgetown game).
Will the Orangemen Tie the Tar Heel Women? If the Orangemen win their quarterfinal game against Hofstra, it will extend the school's final four streak to 19 years. Only the North Carolina women's soccer program can boast a similar accomplishment in NCAA Division I athletics.
Orangemen in the National Statistics (Through Games of May 6)
Points Per Game
T3. Michael Powell 4.46 17. Josh Coffman 3.80 Goals Per Game 20. Michael Springer 2.58 Assists Per Game 4. Michael Powell 2.54 10. Liam Banks 2.15 Ground Balls Per Game 17. Matt Bontaites 6.00 Face-Off Winning Percentage 1. Chris Cercy 197-278 (.709) Save Percentage 14. Rob Mulligan (.607) Goals Against Average 7. Rob Mulligan 7.46 Scoring Offense 3. Syracuse 13.54 gpg Scoring Defense 7. Syracuse 7.69 gpg Face-Off Winning Percentage 1. Syracuse 217-310 (.700) Man-Up Offense 12. Syracuse 23-65 (.354) Man-Down Defense 17. Syracuse 52-70 (.743) Scoring Margin 5. Syracuse 5.85 gpg Winning Percentage T6. Syracuse (.846) Individual Highs (Assists) 7 Keith Cromwell, Rutgers vs. Albany April 7 7 John Bogosian, Hobart vs. Lehigh March 24 7 Brian LaMastro, Hartford vs. Holy Cross March 17 7 Troy Bamann, Fairfield vs. Holy Cross Feb. 24 6 Tim Pearson, Army vs. Rutgers May 5 6 LIAM BANKS, Syracuse vs. Rutgers April 14 6 Conor Gill, Virginia vs. Radford April 3 6 Ryan Boyle, Princeton vs. Pennsylvania April 3 6 Keith Cromwell, Rutgers vs. UMBC March 31 6 Jim Lindsay, Albany vs. Boston College March 24
Four Orangemen Selected to Vie for First Annual Tewaaraton Trophy
Four members of the Syracuse men's lacrosse team were among 15 players selected to vie for the first annual Tewaaraton Trophy, an award that will be presented annually to the top female and male collegiate lacrosse players in the United States.
Junior midfielder Josh Coffman (Carthage, NY/Carthage), junior defenseman John Glatzel (Ellicott City, MD/Boys' Latin), senior goalie Rob Mulligan (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) and sophomore attackman Michael Springer (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) were named to the list.
The University Club of Washington D.C., in conjunction with the Tewaaraton Award Foundation, has established this award. Scholarship money will be given to the award recipient's college or university general scholarship fund and preference will be given to Native Americans seeking scholarships. The Foundation committee honors Native American heritage with the name "Tewaaraton," the name the Mohawk nation gave to their game and the progenitor of present day lacrosse.
Nominations were requested from all coaches. A five-coach selection committee for both males and females will oversee the voting process. There will be a maximum of three wild-card spots left open for a new candidate(s) who emerges during the season. The five finalists will be announced May 1, 2001. The inaugural Tewaaraton Trophy will be presented at The University Club of Washington D.C. on June 7, 2001 at a banquet honoring the finalists and winners.
Men's Selection Committee: Richie Moran (Chair), retired Cornell University head coach; Scott Anderson, Harvard University; Tom Postel, C.W. Post College; Erin Quinn, Middlebury College; Dom Starsia, University of Virginia; Dave Urick, Georgetown University.
Others Named to the List: Roger Buttles, Harvard; Keith Cromwell, Rutgers; R.J. Degenfelder, C.W. Post; Conor Denihan, Johns Hopkins; Steve Dusseau, Georgetown; Conor Gill, Virginia; Tom Glatzel, Notre Dame; Chris Hartofolis, Duke; Holt Hopkins, Middlebury; Mark Koontz, Virginia; Pat McGinnis, Maryland; Doug Shanahan, Hofstra; Jeff Sonke, North Carolina; Trevor Tierney, Princeton; Dave Ulrich, Notre Dame.
